Refrigeration system with a plate-type condenser and method for compacting it

ABSTRACT

A refrigeration system with a plate-type condenser and a method for compacting it, to be applied to a refrigeration appliance presenting a compressor mounted in a hermetic shell ( 10 ), an evaporator coil ( 60 ), and a plate-type condenser ( 20 ). The refrigerant fluid coming from the compressor is supplied to a condenser tube ( 30 ), which is formed on a lower plate section ( 20   a ) and on an upper plate section ( 20   b ) of the condenser ( 20 ) and extends from the bottom to the top and back to the bottom. After manufacture, the lower plate section ( 20   a ) and the upper plate section ( 20   b ) are placed one over the other, the evaporator coil ( 60 ) is positioned by a suction tube ( 70 ) connected to the compressor.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention refers to a refrigeration system, which includes aplate-type condenser manufactured in different sections, in order tomake the system more compact for handling and shipping. The presentinvention further refers to a method to make said system more compact.

PRIOR ART

Refrigeration systems formed by a compressor, an evaporator, acondenser, and other necessary components are well known. Such systemsare used in several types of appliances for commercial and residentialuse, such as refrigerators, freezers, air-conditioners, and othercooling devices. Most refrigeration systems usually work, compressing arefrigerant fluid in the vapor state in a compressor, said refrigerantfluid subsequently transferring the heat to an external environmentthrough a condenser, returning to the liquid state. The refrigerantfluid in the liquid state passes through an expansion device and,immediately after, in an evaporator, returning to the compressor in thevapor form.

Upon passing through the evaporator, the refrigerant fluid removes theheat from the surrounding atmosphere, such as the interior of arefrigerator cabinet, in order to cool that atmosphere. The refrigerantfluid flow is generally defined by controlling the operation of thecompressor, that is, turning on and off the compressor as a function ofthe temperature of the area to be cooled. This is usually controlled bya device, such as a thermostat.

A condenser for such a type of refrigeration system is usually formed bya tube made of an adequate material, such as copper, which is bent inturns in order to define an elongated coil pattern. A refrigerationsystem, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,567 uses a plate-typecondenser, in which the coil shaped condenser tube is incorporated in asingle metallic plate, which is mounted to the bottom of a refrigeratorcabinet, serving as a structural element for the cabinet. Therefrigeration capacity of the appliance dictates the specifications ofthe refrigeration system. Thus, a device with a high refrigerationcapacity will correspondingly require a refrigeration system with a highcapacity, which, on its turn, will require a large condenser.

In general, the manufacture and assembly of the parts of a refrigerationappliance are accomplished in different locations. For example, therefrigeration system can be produced in a factory in one location andthen transported to another factory in a distinct location, where itwill be mounted in a cabinet to form the final version of therefrigeration appliance, which will be later delivered to a consumer.When the refrigeration system is of the type that has a plate-typecondenser, a practical problem appears, resulting from the fact that thedimension of the condenser is relatively large, making thetransportation of the system more difficult and increasing thetransportation costs of the refrigeration system from one place to theother. Accordingly, there is a need to provide a refrigeration systemwith a plate-type condenser, which can be more compact for handling andshipping, and which can be easily returned to its condition prepared forthe final use in a refrigeration appliance.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is a generic object of the present invention to provide arefrigeration system having a plate-type condenser and an evaporatorcoil supported by an elongated suction tube connected to the compressorof the refrigeration system, in which the dimension of the latter can bereduced, by displacing part of the plate-type condenser and of thesuction tube, in order to lower the position of the evaporator coil, soas to make easier and more efficient both the handling and the shippingof the refrigeration system.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a method forcompacting said refrigeration system for its storage and transportationand prior to the assembly thereof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, a refrigeration system is provided,comprising the usual components of a compressor mounted in a hermeticshell; an evaporator coil; and a condenser. The condenser is of theplate type, formed by a lower plate section and an upper plate sectionthat are spaced from each other. The high-pressure refrigerant fluiddischarged from the compressor is supplied to a condenser tube, which isformed on the lower and on the upper plate sections, in a coil typepattern from the bottom to the top and back to the bottom. In a finalmanufacturing step and when the present refrigeration system is in acondition of use, the plate sections of the condenser lie on the samevertical plane one over the other, with the upper section being disposedover the compressor shell.

An evaporator, which is formed by a tube that is wound like a coil in agenerally cylindrical form, is positioned above the upper plate sectionof the condenser, transversally to the lower and upper plate sections.The evaporator coil receives the refrigerant fluid from the condenserthrough a capillary tube, extending from the lower part of the lowerplate section to the evaporator coil. An elongated suction tube extendsfrom the evaporator coil along the height of the lower and upper platesections of the condenser, back to the compressor for admission of therefrigerant fluid that will be compressed. The suction tube is obtainedfrom an adequate material and presents the necessary strength to supportthe evaporator coil when said coil is not otherwise supported, as itoccurs before its assembly in the cabinet of the refrigerationappliance.

In order to reduce the general dimension of the refrigeration system forhandling and shipping, the capillary tube and the suction tube are madeof a material that allows bending, said tubes being bent to a form thatproduces the lowering of the evaporator coil from a position above theupper plate section of the condenser to a position generally above thecompressor shell, preferably in a position below the upper end of thelower plate section of the condenser. The upper plate section of thecondenser is then bent downwardly to reduce the total height of thesystem.

In a first embodiment of the invention, the upper plate section of thecondenser is bent rearwardly, in order to lie parallel to the lowerplate section. In a second embodiment, the upper plate section is bentso as to lie transversal to the lower plate section, overlapping theevaporator coil. Both embodiments of the invention reduce the totaldimension of the refrigeration system as a whole, making it easier tohandle and its transportation more efficient and less expensive.

When the system, received in the compact form, is conducted to bemounted in the cabinet of the refrigeration appliance, the upper platesection is bent back to its original position, and the suction tube andthe capillary tube are straightened, in order to elevate the evaporatorcoil and arrange all components in an adequate position to be mounted inthe cabinet of the refrigeration appliance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described below, with reference to the encloseddrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational perspective view of a refrigerationsystem, illustrated in the condition to be used in the refrigerationsystem, and which also represents the final condition of themanufacturing process;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are front elevational perspective views, showing therefrigeration system in different dimension compaction steps, accordingto a first embodiment of the invention; and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are, respectively, front and bottom perspective views ofthe refrigeration system illustrated in a final compaction step,according to a second embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a refrigeration system having the usual conventionalcomponents, but with a plate-type condenser constructed according to theinvention. The refrigeration system is shown with a general arrangementof its components being positioned in the form they are designed to bemounted in the cabinet of a refrigeration appliance (not illustrated),and which also represents the final form after the manufacturing stepsand test procedures. When mounted in the cabinet of the refrigerationappliance, the several components are supported by the adequatestructural mounting members.

The system presents, at the bottom thereof, a compressor with aconventional construction mounted in a hermetic shell 10, which presentsa mounting support 11, through which the hermetic shell 10 is mounted inthe cabinet of the refrigeration appliance. The compressor compresses ahigh-pressure refrigerant fluid, which is supplied to a discharge tube12 mounted to the hermetic shell 10 and which leads to a plate-typecondenser 20. The plate-type condenser 20 is formed by a lower platesection 20 a and an upper plate section 20 b with a spacing 21therebetween. The lower plate section 20 a and the upper plate section20 b generally lie on the same vertical plane and can have the samesize, with the same width and height, or with the height of the uppersection 20 b being slightly smaller than that of the lower section 20 a.The sections 20 a and 20 b are made of any adequate material, usually agalvanized steel plate, to avoid corrosion. The lower plate section 20 aand the upper plate section 20 b present holes 22 for the assemblythereof to the cabinet of the refrigeration appliance.

A condenser tube 30, which is an extension of the discharge tube 12 ofthe refrigerant fluid, is mounted to the lower plate section 20 a and tothe upper plate section 20 b of the plate-type condenser 20 by anyconventional means, such as clamps or other types of fixation means. Thecondenser tube 30 is typically made of copper, and it is formed in acoil pattern, with several alternate small and large turns or loops,which have a first segment extending upwardly, from the discharge tube12 in the lower plate section 20 a through the spacing 21, and then tothe upper end of the upper plate section 20 b. The condenser tube 30continues, with a second segment extending downwardly, in small andlarge alternate turns or loops, which are entwined with the small andlarge turns of the first segment, said second segment developingdownwardly again, toward the lower end of the upper plate section 20 b,passing through the spacing 21 and toward the lower end of the lowerplate section 20 a. It should be noted that, in the spacing 21, thefirst and the second segments of the condenser tube 30, extendingupwardly and downwardly, are close and substantially parallel to eachother in a median region 31.

The lower end of the condenser tube 30 is connected to the inlet end ofa drying filter 40, whose outlet end is connected to the capillary tube50 of a smaller diameter. The capillary tube 50 comprises a capillarytube coil 51 in its median portion to provide expansion of therefrigerant fluid, with the capillary tube 50 being upwardly elongated,toward a point located at or above the upper end of the upper platesection 20 b, where the upper end of the elongated capillary tube 50 isconnected to the lower end inlet of an evaporator coil 60, with acylindrical development, which is formed by a certain number of turns ofa copper tube. The outlet of the evaporator coil 60 is connected, by itsupper end, with an elongated suction tube 70, downwardly extendingthrough the height of the lower plate section 20 a and the upper platesection 20 b. The suction tube 70 has its lower end connected to thehermetic shell 10 of the compressor, in order to supply the low pressurerefrigerant fluid back to the compressor in a suction inlet 14. Duringthe manufacturing period of the system, the suction tube 70 presentssufficient strength and rigidity to maintain the evaporator coil 60 inthe position illustrated in FIG. 1. When the system is mounted in thecabinet of the refrigeration appliance, the evaporator coil 60 will bemounted to another member.

In a conventional manner and as illustrated, the capillary tube 50 has asmaller diameter and is made of a metal that is softer than that of thesuction tube 70. The materials of the condenser tube 30, of the suctiontube 70 and of the capillary tube 50 are selected so that they can bebent or curved at least twice from the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1:the first time, when the system has its dimension reduced, and later,when the system has its form reestablished to that one required to allowits assembly to the refrigeration system, without damaging the integrityof the deformed parts.

In the prior art, the plate-type condenser is made with a single pieceplate, so that the total dimension of the refrigeration system cannot bemade smaller than that corresponding to the dimension of the singleplate of the condenser. Thus, the system would be bulky and ratherdifficult to handle and costly to transport. By making the condenser inplate sections, as shown in FIG. 1, the total dimension of the systemcan be reduced for an easier and more efficient handling and forobtaining a more economic transportation.

A first embodiment of the invention, which allows attaining the desiredresult, is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 shows a first step inthe process for compacting the dimension of the refrigeration systemillustrated in FIG. 1 to a smaller size assembly. As shown, theelongated suction tube 70 and the capillary tube 50 were bent to form acoil with a generally circular single turn, which is positioned parallelto the plane of symmetry of the hermetic shell 10 of the compressor, anddisposed slightly above said hermetic shell 10, but below the upper endof the lower plate section 20 a. This causes the lowering of theevaporator coil 60 to a position in which its top remains below theupper end of the lower plate section 20 a of the condenser 30. FIG. 3shows the second process of compaction, in which the upper plate section20 b is downwardly bent about 180° away from the upper plate section 20a, such that its rear surface (without a condenser tube 30) faces therear surface of the lower plate section 20 a. Upon curving the upperplate section 20 b, the parts of the condenser tube 30 in the spacing 21between the lower plate section 20 a and the upper plate section 20 bare bent, in order to allow said curving to occur and that both parts 31of the condenser tube 30, which were in the spacing 21, be disposed atthe top of the compacted system. As seen, the dimension (total height)of the refrigeration system is reduced, from the condition shown in FIG.1, to that in which the only height is that of the lower plate section20 a. This produces a substantial size reduction, making therefrigeration system easier to handle and its shipping much moreeconomic.

When the system has to be mounted in the cabinet of the refrigerationappliance, the upper plate section 20 b is bent back to its originalposition and the suction tube 70 and the capillary tube 50 arestraightened to elevate the evaporator coil 60. Thus, all the componentsof the system are placed in the adequate position to be mounted in thecabinet of the refrigeration appliance.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show another embodiment of the invention, in which thesame reference numbers are used for similar components. As it occurs inthe embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3, the suction tube 70 and the capillarytube 50 are bent to such a shape that the evaporator coil 60 is loweredto a position slightly above the hermetic shell 10 of the compressor andsimilar to that shown in FIG. 2. In this condition, the upper platesection 20 b is forwardly bent at about 90°, curving the parts 31 of thecondenser tube 30 in the spacing 21, so that the upper plate section 20b remains generally perpendicular to the lower plate section 20 a andgenerally parallel to the evaporator coil 60. As it occurs with theembodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3, the total dimension of the refrigerationsystem, as a whole, is substantially reduced to the height of the lowerplate section 20 a.

The embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5 presents the advantage that no part ofthe condenser tube 30 is exposed, while in FIG. 3, the parts of thecondenser tube 30 in the upper plate section 20 b and in the spacing 21remain exposed. Also in the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5, the evaporatorcoil 60 is covered by the upper plate section 20 b after the latter hasbeen adequately bent. The return of the refrigeration system to aconfiguration to be mounted to the cabinet of the refrigeration systemis processed as already described above. As it can be seen, theinvention provides a refrigeration system that has a novel form for theplate-type condenser that allows the total dimension of the system to bereduced during certain steps of its manufacture and use.

Specific aspects of the invention are shown in the drawings forconvenience only, since each aspect can be combined with other aspectsaccording to the invention. Alternative embodiments will be understoodas possible by those skilled in the art and intended to be included inthe scope of the claims. Thus, the above description should beunderstood as illustrative and not limitative of the protection scope ofthe invention. All evident alterations and modifications are within theprotection scope defined by the enclosed claims.

1. A refrigeration system including a compressor provided in a hermeticshell (10), having a discharge tube (12) for the high-pressurerefrigerant fluid, which is supplied to a condenser tube (30) of aplate-type condenser 20 for transferring heat and then conducted to anevaporator coil (60) presenting a suction tube (70) that returns to asuction inlet (14) of the compressor, characterized in that theplate-type condenser (20) comprises a lower plate section (20 a) and anupper plate section (20 b) with a spacing (21) therebetween, onto whichsections the condenser tube (30) is mounted in an entwined coil pattern,the lower plate section 20 a and the upper plate section 20 b, in acondition of the refrigeration system, being positioned one over theother in the same vertical plane, with the evaporator coil (60) beingheld by the suction tube (70) at or above the upper plate section (20b), and, in a second condition for reducing the dimension of therefrigeration system, the suction tube (70) is curved in order to lowerthe evaporator coil (60) that will be placed above the hermetic shell(10) and below the upper end of the lower plate section (20 a), with theupper plate section (20 b) being downwardly bent.
 2. The system as setforth in claim 1, characterized in that, in the second condition, theupper plate section (20 b) is rearwardly bent to be substantiallyparallel to the lower plate section (20 a).
 3. The system as set forthin claim 1, characterized in that, in the second condition, the upperplate section (20 b) is bent to be substantially perpendicular to thelower plate section (20 a) and to overlap the evaporator coil (60). 4.The system as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the condensertube (30) on the lower plate section (20 a) and on the upper platesection (20 b) is formed with a first segment upwardly extending fromthe compressor, towards the top of the upper plate section (20 b), andby a second segment downwardly extending toward the lower end of thelower plate section (20 a), the median regions (31) of each of saidfirst and second segments of the condenser tube (30), which arepositioned across the spacing (21) between the lower plate section (20a) and an upper plate section (20 b), being generally parallel.
 5. Thesystem as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises acapillary tube (50) extending from the lower end of the lower platesection (20 a) to the evaporator coil (60), and in said first conditionof the refrigeration system, the suction tube (70) and the capillarytube are curved to allow the evaporator coil (60) to be lowered.
 6. Thesystem as set forth in claim 5, characterized in that the suction tube(70) and the capillary tube (50) are curved in the form of a coil, whichis provided above the hermetic shell (10) and below the upper end of thelower plate section (20 a).
 7. Method to reduce the dimension of arefrigeration system including a compressor provided in a hermetic shell(10), having a discharge tube (12) for the high-pressure refrigerant,which is supplied to a condenser tube (30) of a plate-type condenser(20) for heat absorption, and thence to a capillary tube (50) andsubsequently to an evaporator coil (50), and then to an evaporator coil(60) presenting a suction tube (70) which returns to a suction inlet ofthe compressor, characterized in that comprises the steps of: formingthe plate-type condenser (20) with a lower plate section (20 a) and anupper plate section (20 b) with a spacing (21) therebetween; mountingthe condenser tube (30) on the lower plate section (20 a) and on theupper plate section (20 b) in an entwined coil pattern; positioning, ina first condition of the refrigeration system, the lower plate section(20 a) and the upper plate section (20 b) one over the other in the samevertical plane and affixing the evaporator coil (60) through the suctiontube (70) at or above the upper plate section (20 b); and reducing, in asecond condition of the refrigeration system, the dimension of saidsystem, by curving the suction tube (70) in order to lower theevaporator coil (60) to a position above the hermetic shell (10) andbelow the upper end of the lower plate section (20 a) downwardly bendingthe upper plate section (20 b).
 8. The method as set forth in claim 7,characterized in that, in the second condition, the upper plate section(20 b) is rearwardly bent in order to stay substantially parallel to thelower plate section (20 a).
 9. The method as set forth in claim 7,characterized in that, in the second condition, the upper plate section(20 b) is bent to remain substantially perpendicular to the lower platesection (20 a) and to overlap the evaporator coil (60).
 10. The methodas set forth in claim 7, characterized in that the condenser tube (30)on the lower plate section (20 a) and on the upper plate section (20 b)is formed with the first segment extending over the compressor, towardthe top of the upper plate section (20 b), and with the second segmentdownwardly extending toward the lower end of the lower plate section (20a), the median regions (31) of the first and the second segments of thecondenser tube (30), which are provided across the spacing (21) betweenthe lower plate section (20 a) and the upper plate section (20 b), beinggenerally parallel.